We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Olyviah Hall a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Olyviah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
Growing up as a kid with curly hair it’s always been a struggle to find comfort in trusting someone to know how to accommodate what it is that my hair requires. My father being from Port-Au-Prince Haiti and my mom being from Minneapolis brought so much culture and diversity in my life from early on. In the beauty world, that hadn’t always translated the same. Many times I felt uncomfortable with my curl pattern, an urge to ulter it, to conform. A societal pressure to “tame” my hair prior to professional hair appointments to make it easier to deal with “hair like that”. As I got a little older, more comfortable in my skin, I realized I didn’t need to change my version of beauty to someone else’s standard. I could just be me and that was enough. In 2017 I went to the Aveda institute where I then became a licensed cosmetologist after my program. I am now a suite owner at Salons by JC in Cottage Grove. Locks of Lyv was established in 2023 and I am beyond grateful to establish an environment I only dreamed of. My goal is to make everyone feel comfortable to be vulnerable with their hair journey. Allowing them to see how beautiful they truly are. With products fit to tailor to their needs. Through Davines, I am fortunate to share my love and passion for hair and inclusivity with other incredibly gifted individuals. My goal is to create a community that feels seen, heard, and welcomed every time they walk into a room. That is my entire mission both behind the chair and at home with my friends and family.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I got into cosmology after starting my undergrad at Coastal Carolina. Although I had a great time there, I didn’t feel fulfilled doing a traditional 4 year program. I worked at the front desk at a salon after years of working in the tanning industry. I knew I loved products but I didn’t even consider hair as a job job, but more as a hobby until I did more digging and thought, woah, this is it for me.. I have to go to beauty school.
I use Davines North America for both color and hair care products. It is a sustainable company both for the clients and stylists. But they also believe in sustainability as a community, an individual. From the way they package their products to how they give back to the environment, they are intentional with everything they do. I want to be just as intentional. I’m also a Colorist behind the chair and an educator for Davines. I get to share all the ins and outs of color and product knowledge to other talented stylists and salons. I perform a wide range of blonding, color corrections, balayage, and other various color services. I love coloring curly hair as well. I do also provide haircuts behind the chair from long layers, shags, curly cuts, to bangs.
My biggest accomplishment outside of my two beautiful boys and husband, is showing my family that you can live out your dreams. You can have a social life, family events, financial freedom, a career, and still love what you do if you really set your mind to it. It isn’t easy and some days are harder than others but the small victories will take you to the end. Small, consistent habits will win every time. I hope they know they can do whatever they set their mind to.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
The biggest thing was highlighting that I am also your everyday person once I leave the salon. People want to feel like they know who’s coloring their hair. Yes, of course, they want to see the gorgeous lived in bronde but they also want to know your favorite books, movies, hobby’s because they can find comfort in relating to you allowing room for dialogue. Making those wholesome connections has really helped my business flourish. Not just in person, but through social media. My advice to anyone just starting out is giving it time to build. It takes being consistent. It was slow initially and takes time but it’s worth it. Also invest in yourself. Don’t be afraid to dive in and go all in on yourself. You’re worth it and it DOES pay off in the end.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
When I was looking at starting my business I looked at the price to get everything up and running and immediately got discouraged. I thought of every reason why I would be unsuccessful. But when I took a step back, I thought, what am I so afraid of? It was fear of failing. Instead of reveling in that mindset for too long, I recognized my true fear at hand, and I used it as amo. A bigger reason to succeed. We are our hardest critics and sometimes it’s off to a slow start but it’s a start. Starting off, I calculated the revenue I needed to create and how long I needed to break even. If I buckled down, I could start making revenue in 2 weeks. I trusted myself even though I was terrified out of my mind. I went in fully commitial, trusted the processes and within one 1 1/2 weeks of being open I started to make a profit. Had I sat in that fear I would have never even tried. If I did fail, I knew at least I would’ve gone out swinging, giving it my all. You still might fall down but getting back up is all the proof you need to know you can do this. For all you know that next time will be a success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://locksoflyv.glossgenius.com/
- Instagram: @locksoflyv